solid core vs stranded

[budgetaudio76]

wow what a world of difference using single stranded wire for the powered sub makes. i thought it sounded good before with the stranded wire but when changed to the solid conductor the bass was much tighter than before and i swear it was more transparent what boominess there was gone, blending in with the mains much smoother. if your wondering what im using (this will make some of you cringe) im using 12g electrical wiring. alot of work to connect them but worth it cost me 15dollars for 50 foot spool. subs are much louder after switching. thinking of changing wires in b.r. system as well.

[JohnMichael]

To my ears in my system solid core is the only way to go. The sound is more focused. At first stranded cables can seem like they give greater soundstage but it is almost like there is ghosting of the sonic images. I also use solid core interconnects. Glad you are enjoying the improvements and keep us posted on future changes.

[audio amateur]

Solid core vs. stranded? what's the difference? how do you know which is which?
AA

[JohnMichael]

Solid core vs. stranded? what's the difference? how do you know which is which?
AA

A stranded cable is one which is made up of many thin strands of wire in close contact with each other. Solid core cables contain one or more thicker strands of wire that are insulated from each other. An example of solid core speaker cables would be the Alpha Core MI 1 which is a single ribbon of wire for each polarity. My current speaker cables the Audioquest Slates contain 8 conductors not in contact with each other electrically. Four for neagative and four for the positive.

Examples of stranded cables would be Monster, Cardas, Kimber amd MIT among others. To find out if your cables are solid or stranded try to look where they are terminated and if you see many small wires your cables are stranded and if one or a few larger solid wires individually insulated your cables would be considered solid core.

[audio amateur]

Okay, I'm guessing mine are stranded then. Is there any reason why one is better than the other?

[budgetaudio76]

Okay, I'm guessing mine are stranded then. Is there any reason why one is better than the other?

its hard too say since i dont know much about it...maybe its because the signal isnt fragmented between all the strands (solid core). fragmenting at the source and rejoining at the destination. electrical cross over between strands? my first foray into solid and stranded ic i made some ics out of my dads sat. dish wires one was stranded and the other was solid seven core wire. i was a teen then. solid cable was much tighter more slam in the lower octaves. stranded had fuller bass in the upper regions. dad wasnt too happy that i used up all his cable as one of his friends was needing some for his sat. dish. but they had a laugh about it. i used the same stuff for speaker wire.

[gjpham]

Okay, I'm guessing mine are stranded then. Is there any reason why one is better than the other?

For deeper understanding, you'd probably have to Google it for some scienetists write up.
Some ppl like their music crystal clear and bright. Others like their music soft, mellow, and layback. So, "better" for me may not be better for others. Audio cables may deliver sound differently (multiple tests by me) but they are more profitable when suited in higher end gear.
Cables are fun and easy to play with. They are the cheappest investment, a useful tool to taylor my liking, and should be the final step of the upgrade.
I love to play around with cablings but knowing a huge and beautiful shinny muffler tip won't make a car goes faster.

* Learn more about it here :http://www.audioquest.com/pdfs/aq_cable_theory.pdf

[JohnMichael]

Audio Amateur one theroy I have read is the strands of cables attract and repulse each other with the changes in electrical flow. One company calls it galvanic strand interaction. The interesting thing about cables is it seems not everyone is sensitive to changes in cables. If you are happy with your system as it is I would not change anything. I have found that if when I use solid core I still try to choose a cable with a guage in the 12 to 14 range. I have a cable composed of three 20 guage wires and I find it a little bass shy. You could have that cable to experimant with if you would like.

[FLZapped]

Audio Amateur one theroy I have read is the strands of cables attract and repulse each other with the changes in electrical flow. One company calls it galvanic strand interaction.

The strands each will be carrying very nearly the identical current, therefore, this is a bogus theory. If the effect even exists, it would be microscopic at best. And it ISN'T galvanic.

The interesting thing about cables is it seems not everyone is sensitive to changes in cables.

Probably because they aren't psychologically pre-disposed to it.

-Bruce

[Brett A]

Quote JohnMichael
"The interesting thing about cables is it seems not everyone is sensitive to changes in cables."

Quote FLZapped
Probably because they aren't psychologically pre-disposed to it.
-Bruce

Or they are psychologically pre-disposed to thinking its BS and cannot hear it for that reason. Therein lies the essence of the debate---the nature of the rift.

[budgetaudio76]

The strands each will be carrying very nearly the identical current, therefore, this is a bogus theory. If the effect even exists, it would be microscopic at best. And it ISN'T galvanic.



Probably because they aren't psychologically pre-disposed to it.

-Bruce

this is a good hobby (audio) isnt it. you didnt specify whether you tried solid core wires before. but if youve never tried it wouldnt it be worth the experiment to see if it is all hoopla? you know you can get 12 or 14 guage wire pretty cheap from a hard ware store. should be no more than 15, maybe 20 dollars for a 50foot spool . twist them together. looks cleaner. after if youdo notice any difference, perhaps you can buy name brand cableat a premium. im not saying you will notice anything ...its up to your ears. but if you dont want to try it hey its your perogotive. no harm done. personnaly i did notice a difference in the bass being tighter than when using stranded. for predisposition...when i was a teen i did a a/b test on different ic cable with my friends and changing between them they noticed nothing different...i was pretty sure they would because i thoughtthere was a difference between them. their answer surprised me. so now im reluctant to spend a premium on a brand name.

[audio amateur]

Thanks for the answers. I'll have to read up a little on it then, but I'm not about to change mine, I've spent enough on them as it is
Great link BTW.
JM, is that an offer? if it is thanks, but you don't need to bother, I'll find myself some solid core some time

[O'Shag]

Its hard to know conclusively about these things. A lot of professionals think we are fooling ourselves, and many of these people are serious kinda folks that know what their talking about. But I have done a right job on myself, because I can hear differences between different interconnects and speaker cables I've tried.

By the way EStat, I've listened extensively to the Valhallas, the Transparent Opus, and MITs top Oracle models. The Valhallas are superb, but the Opus is better - I find it has everything the Valhalla has and more. Images are more solid and defined - thats what I hear anyway.

[emaidel]

I can only speak from my own personal (and, limited) experience here, but if I were to compare the performance between the solid core Audioquest "Crystal" speaker cables I once owned, and the Monster Z-Series stranded cables I now use, I'd have to state categorically that the Monster cables are inifinitely superior in every way.

I was never pleased with the sound of the Audioquest Crystal cables, as they made the sound of my system quite harsh, with little detail, but seemingly, more volume (i.e. - they made my system play louder). The harshness lessened over time as the cables burned in, but never sounded good enough to justify their price ($800 for two 12' lengths).

I replaced those cables with the Monster Z-Series stranded cables, with screw-on, gold-plated banana plugs (on both ends) and enjoyed an immense improvement immediately: much sweeter, more pleasant sound, with greater detail and deeper bass.

This is only my own experience with two cables, so it certainly isn't to be used as a standard, but I posted this as a point of reference. I also found the Audioquest cables impossbily stiff, and very hard to work with, whereas the Monster ones are a good deal more flexible, and easier to place on the floor behind my speakers.

As always, there are often two sides to a story.

[StevenSurprenant]

I was never pleased with the sound of the Audioquest Crystal cables, as they made the sound of my system quite harsh, with little detail, but seemingly, more volume (i.e. - they made my system play louder).

Audioquest Crystal cables were the very first higher end cables I heard. Before that it was always zip cord. I have to agree with your assesment of them. I hated them in my system, but they did prove that wire makes a difference. It's funny, I was in this store and heard some B&W speakers playing music and I commented to my friend that it sounded like that were using Audioquest Crystal cables. I looked and yep, they were.

The sound of these cables are very distinctive.

They hurt my ears!

[O'Shag]

I can only speak from my own personal (and, limited) experience here, but if I were to compare the performance between the solid core Audioquest "Crystal" speaker cables I once owned, and the Monster Z-Series stranded cables I now use, I'd have to state categorically that the Monster cables are inifinitely superior in every way.

I was never pleased with the sound of the Audioquest Crystal cables, as they made the sound of my system quite harsh, with little detail, but seemingly, more volume (i.e. - they made my system play louder). The harshness lessened over time as the cables burned in, but never sounded good enough to justify their price ($800 for two 12' lengths).

I replaced those cables with the Monster Z-Series stranded cables, with screw-on, gold-plated banana plugs (on both ends) and enjoyed an immense improvement immediately: much sweeter, more pleasant sound, with greater detail and deeper bass.

This is only my own experience with two cables, so it certainly isn't to be used as a standard, but I posted this as a point of reference. I also found the Audioquest cables impossbily stiff, and very hard to work with, whereas the Monster ones are a good deal more flexible, and easier to place on the floor behind my speakers.

As always, there are often two sides to a story.

A perfect example of system dependency. Also your scenario demonstrates that even with any perceived improvement in detail, flash, or loudness, ultimately any cable will be undesirable if it makes the system sound harsh or overly bright. Some tweeters are more susceptible to this than others. I always look to the midrange primarily as a bell-weather of my systems performance. I like presence i.e. not too much a fan of very recessed center images. I rather the midrange be a tad on the warm and lush side than overly cool, analytical and bright whcih can be somewhat uninvolving. I want to feel the music, not analyze it - if that makes any sense. I guess Transparents are stranded, but I'm not sure. RW do you know? I also find the QED Genesis Silver Spiral speaker cable to be excellent, with that balance of detail, aliveness, control and body without becoming etched or harsh. they are stranded I believe. I love the Valhallas and the Transparent References, but there is no way I'll pay that much for cables - at least not for now.

HP must be a lot of fun to hang out with RW. I like his style.
Cheers
Adam

[E-Stat]

I guess Transparents are stranded, but I'm not sure. RW do you know?

Sorry, I don't. It took Bugs Bunny to bring me back to this thread.

HP must be a lot of fun to hang out with RW. I like his style.
Cheers
Adam

He is and is more animated in person. His written persona doesn't capture his sense of humor. It is also fun to hear all the toys he gets access to - that which is completely outside the experience of guys like mtry (our former resident ditch digger). I remember hearing the system back in '01 or so when he got the big Nolas. That experience completely recalibrated my sense of the level of realism an audio system could deliver. I brought several very familiar CDs with me and was floored at how much detail I had missed from my old favorites.

rw

[musicoverall]

That experience completely recalibrated my sense of the level of realism an audio system could deliver. I brought several very familiar CDs with me and was floored at how much detail I had missed from my old favorites.

rw

I think we all should strive for this recalibration from time to time when possible. The same thing happened to me about 15 years ago. I was happy with what I had until I heard an acquaintance's system using SOTA (at the time) gear. I was so amazed at the differences in detail that for the first time in my life I spent hours listening to the system instead of the music. It completely revamped my thinking regarding what level of music reproduction was possible in the home.

BTW, Mr Peabody has a question about the Gamut CDP in Digital. Don't you own one of those?

[E-Stat]

By the way EStat, I've listened extensively to the Valhallas, the Transparent Opus, and MITs top Oracle models. The Valhallas are superb, but the Opus is better - I find it has everything the Valhalla has and more. Images are more solid and defined - thats what I hear anyway.

There are a number of competitive cables available. HP is currently using the newest Nordost flavor, the Odin and reports they are likewise better than the Valhalla.

rw

[budgetaudio76]

any one ever use of using cat5e or cat 6 cables for interconnects? ive been thinking about making a pair of them or three as most of my ics are the stuff that came with equipment. i heve one that is more of an upgrade wire. brand is scoche im using it for lfe output for one of my subs(its high voltage rated) i found it outside my apartment. past tenants left it with some other minor stuff.
how would be the best way to soldier them to the ic connectors is it one complete cable per positive or negative terminal. ive done this once before whit sat. dish power cable. no negative results from those. i dont remember how those sounded. one of them had deeper bass at lowest octaves the other had more fuller upperbas. other than that i dont remember much of them.

[O'Shag]

Something thats puzzling me is these Crystal Cables (the brand). They go against the common wisdom it would seem, by the use of those little connectors to customize length. If you have multiple connectors in the signal path, doesn't that degrade the signal? It seems that many people like them.